Dying Stars
by DragonGirlAngel
Summary: Following the arrival of two mysterious, suspicious strangers, Fairy Tail is launched into an inter-dimensional adventure to save their world from being completely destroyed! To do that, they must save the dying stars. And with some extremely dangerous, powerful, and cruel people striving to stop and eliminate Fairy Tail, will they be able to pull it off?
1. Prologue

Kats: Hello, this is Kats here, bringing you a BRAND NEW fanfic, a SOLO work by me, Kats

Angel: I think you'll like it...she told me the plot...its pretty crazy, let me tell you

Kats: I'm planning for this to be a bit of a trilogy, maybe

Angel: yeah and her idea is really crazy and new (Kats: Thanks?)

Kats: This is just the prologue, remember, so its SUPPOSED to get you confused and interested. Roll the prologue!

~Kats does not own Fairy Tail Hiro Mashima does~

Prologue

"What is next?" asked the shadow man in a deep, menacing voice. "Let me see, sir," answered another with a crisp, clear and cold female voice. They sat around a large, circular table made of polished night black stone lightly etched with series of runes. Around the table were 9 normal chairs, each carved to the utmost perfection. A shaded figure sat in each. However, there was on one enormous chair that was, if possible, even more intricate than the others. The figure seated in this tenth chair was shaded, like the others, but he was different. The light ran from the man as if terrified of him, creating a lightless, black void surrounding rough outline of the man. Indeed, it seemed as if this void sucked the light and warmth from around him.

The shadow man.

The walls around them, the exact distance between the table and them being four feet, alternated glowing the colors of the rainbow, casting multicolored light on the backs of the chairs. It glowed red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and back to red again. The lady with the icy voice shuffled through a stack of papers marked with runes similar to those on the table. She stopped shuffling. "Sir, the next case appears to be an elimination case," she informed, her brisk words sharpened in a slightly mocking tone. The shadow man leaned forward, as did the other figures. "Really," he mused, half thoughtful and half mocking, as was with the cold-voiced lady.

"Well, tell us," he drawled in a deep rumble. "Who?" The cold-lady shifted her papers and announced in her chilling voice, "Natsu Dragneel." (Somewhere, Natsu sneezed)

A silence, more crushing then before, descended upon the small room. The walls colors shifted to red, to orange, and yellow. A long while passed before someone spoke. It was a new voice; female, like the cold-lady, but entirely different. This voice was gentle and lilting; she possessed a slight musical tone. Indeed, she seemed be singing and talking at the same time. Her voice was higher and instead of being chilling, each word was flooded with warmth.

"That is a name we hear often," she commented in a sing-song way. "I was wondering when he would get shifted up from 'trouble' to 'elimination'." A murmur of agreement rippled through the group. The figure in the chair next to the singer spoke up. She had the same musical tone, and although her voice was slightly lower, it still flooded listeners with warmth. "Is he still in the examination stage, or have we pushed him straight up to shattering?"

"No," replied the cold-lady. Her chilling, mocking voice was a shock after the musical warmth. "He is still in examination." She paused as if to say more, but was interrupted by whispers of surprise that rippled through the room. The shadow man instantly silenced them. "Why is he still in examination?" he demanded, his tone tinged with anger. "He is far too dangerous for us to delay."

The cold-lady shifted the papers again, then explained herself with more than a bit of irritation. "As I was going to say before I was so rudely interrupted, he has not even started examination." Surprise greeted her icy words, but they stayed silent, desperate to hear more. "Examination is to start soon. I am confident in saying it will not last long, as we have seen enough evidence of the threats he poses, in both his reported actions and the tellings. However, it is stated in law that we must give those subjected to elimination a fair examinations. If we did not, word would get out, and we could get into a nasty situation. The examiner will not tarry, for this is too important for us to suffer delays."

"You have chosen an examiner?" questioned the shadow man in a steely voice. The cold-lady nodded. "Yes, and she will double as eliminator." The shadow man paused to muse over her words. After a while, he said, "Do you believe you have made a good choice?" The cold-lady nodded again. "She is skilled." The shadow man seemed to accept this, to the relief of the rest of the figures. "Very well, then," he announced. "Let there be no delay. Fetch the examiner, excuse me, eliminator, and summon the Ks. Let us send her to Earthland, with the elimination case of Natsu Dragneel!"

~End of Prologue~

Kats: And that was the Prologue of my Solo fanfiction! Hope you enjoyed! Angel, your thoughts?

Angel: Just like the plot...

Kats: Crazy?

Angel: Yeah, pretty much

Kats: Well, did I hit the 'mysterious' feel I was aiming for?

Angel: Yeah I think you did

Kats: Good!

-Kats and Angel Out


	2. A Fateful Encounter

Kats: Hi everybody Kats here with Chapter One of my new solo fanfic!

Angel: Right, yay no Maya (Maya= little evil OC in Our World + Beckoning Shadows)

Kats: I hope you like it, since I've been thinking about this for a while now

Angel: She has been even though she only told me about it last month

Kats: For anybody wondering, this is based after the Edolas arc happens

Angel: Yeah

Kats: Enjoy!

~Kats does not own Fairy Tal Hiro Mashima does~

Dying Stars

Chapter 1: A Fateful Encounter

It was raining. Not a gentle misty shower, but an unrelenting downpour from above, merciless and furious. Dark clouds choked out the blue sky, filling the heavens with a flawless cover of dark, stormy gray. Lightning crackled high above, seeking a path to earth. Thunder shook the air a step behind.

Below this powerful display was a miserable dirt path, all grass worn away after countless years of feet. On one side of this path was a towering cliff, striped with red, orange, and tan. Only a few miserable, scraggly bushes clung to its steep side. On the other side of the path was a dense forest, rich and lush, thriving under the moisture.

The path itself could no longer be defined as 'solid earth'. The storm had turned it into a sloshy, marshy mud pit, absolutely horrible to walk through. Four people were trudging through this mud path, struggling every step to lift their feet to continue. Actually, there were five, but the fifth couldn't be described as a person, and it wasn't walking. More like it was a cat, and it was flying. Another appeared to be riding in a giant clock.

"'This weather is horrible! Why did we come out here in such a storm?!' she wails miserably," said Horologium.  
>"Because this is the way to Magnolia!" responded Natsu, who was a few feet ahead. Lucy shot him a silent glare.<br>"'Why couldn't we have taken the train?' she demands furiously," said Horologium.  
>"Because I didn't want to take the train," said Natsu, picking his way through the mud.<br>"'That's not a good reason!' she wails angrily. 'Since when do we listen to you?' she demands angrily," said Horologium. Natsu rolled his eyes. Lucy couldn't see him because she was at the back of the group.  
>"Why don't you walk on your own two feet? You and Happy!" suggested Gray grumpily, who was covered head to toe in mud.<br>"We're taking advantage of our magic," sang Happy cheekily, who was wet but not muddy. Actually, he was a bit jealous of Lucy, because she was dry and not muddy, but being not muddy was good for the moment.

"Why don't you all shut up and concentrate on traveling?!" snapped Erza, who was leading the group. As usual, she had her cart full of luggage, which probably made it even harder to get through the knee-high mud. This difficulty, and because her luggage was getting wet and muddy, had put Erza in a rotten mood.

They were traveling through this atrocious weather to return to Magnolia. They had left on a job a few days prior, but the day they returned, a ferocious storm hit. Now, usually, this wouldn't stop a train, but lightning had struck the tracks, rendering it unsafe to take the train. Natsu had protested taking the train, and it appeared to be his lucky day. Lucy, Gray, and Happy had insisted on waiting for the train to be declared safe again, as they weren't on a time limit, but apparently, there had been a derailment of sorts near Magnolia station, and a mudslide next to the tracks. So they were walking. The only reason they were walking on the muddy path was to avoid the surrounding ground, which had proved to be more like a swamp.

Muddy or marshy. Tough decision. Erza had chosen muddy, and there was no stopping her. And so there they were, trudging through the mud path, wet and miserable. Even Natsu was starting to wish the train could have been working, and that says a lot.

POOF.

"Eeek!" shrieked Lucy, dropping into the mud. "Time's up," said Horologium. "Noooo!" wailed Lucy. "Come back!" She shakily got up, tripped, and got up again. And so Lucy began the suffering. She glanced up at Happy, gliding cheerfully above. "Come on, guys!" he called cheekily.

Thirty Minutes Later

"Hurry up! Not much farther!" encouraged Happy teasingly. At this point, everybody was feeling a bit mutinous, for Happy had been teasing them the entire time. His last comment pushed Erza over the edge. She tilted her head up, searching for Happy. He saw her narrowed eyes and attempted to fly away, but Erza leapt up and caught his tail. "Ahhhh!" wailed Happy as Erza dunked him into the mud. She then proceded to tie him to her luggage, right near the bottom, so he got the full force of the mud.

"Hey, let me off here!" wailed Happy. "It's super-" He was cut of by a mouthful of mud. "I'm glad it's super," said Erza slyly. Happy responded with a desolate wail. Just then, Natsu stopped and sniffed the air. "W-what is it?"stammered Lucy, instantly wary. "There's someone up ahead," said Natsu, gesturing vaguely in front of them, where the path turned sharply. Cautiously, the group crept around the corner.

There, splayed on the ground, battered and splattered with mud, bound tightly with ropes, were two people. Lucy started in surprise. "Wh-" she stammered, not quite sure what to ask. "Are they unconscious?" gurgled Happy, halfway submerged in mud. "Looks like it," said Erza, nudging one person with her foot. "Don't touch them!" wailed Lucy.

"What should we do?" asked Gray. "Help them, of course!" exclaimed Lucy. "We can't just leave them here!" She trudged up to the people, and after a brief pause, began to slowly untie the sodden ropes. "These knots are really complicated," grumbled Lucy. "Allow me to help," said Erza, lifting her sword. *slash, slash* The ropes fell to the ground.

"What should we do now?" wondered Lucy. "Take them to the guild hall," decided Erza. She tied the unconscious people to the top of the luggage cart-unlike Happy-and they set out again.

Much Mud Later

"Finally!" exclaimed Lucy in joy at the sight of the guild hall. "That was horrible!" complained Gray. "I hope we never have to do that again," shuddered Lucy. Out of the mud, the rain had quickly washed off the mud from everybody-the Fairy Tail wizards and the tied-up people alike.

In the blissfully dry shelter of the guild hall, they took the tied up people they had found on the path and laid them on the table. Once they were de-muddyfied and dried off, the people were two girls, covered in cuts, scrapes, and bruises, deeply unconscious. The first girl had long dark blond hair and was wearing black boots, black pants, and a gray jacket over a mottled green shirt.The second was pale, also with long blond hair and was wearing a teal dress top, covered by a black jacket, light denim blue jeans, and small green sandals.

"I wonder why they were tied up on the road," mused Erza. "It certainly is strange," agreed Lucy. Just then, the girls both stirred. One sat bolt upright and the other slowly pushed herself up. With their eyes open, the girl with the jacket had dark green eyes, and the other had dark brown eyes. Erza's eyes narrowed in slight shock.

"Do you sense the magic power?" she whispered to Lucy. Lucy nodded. "So much," she whispered in awe. Erza pointed towards the girl with brown eyes, then whispered, "Hers is a magic I've never felt before, but it is incredibly powerful and diverse. It seems familiar, somehow." Lucy nodded; she felt it as well. Then she pointed to the girl with green eyes. "Hers is something totally alien. I've never felt anything like it before. And it's different, too. It doesn't feel like magic power, but it does at the same time. How strange." This was concerning to Erza and Lucy alike.

The girls looked around, and confusion and shock quickly dawned upon their faces. But they didn't speak. They just looked around. They climbed off the table, confronted by Erza. The girl with green eyes stepped forward and gave her a quick nod. "You were the ones who rescued us?" she inquired without emotion. Erza nodded, "Yes."

"Our thanks," responded the girl with green eyes. She stopped talking and looked around some more. "Can you direct us to the Fairy Tail guild?" she asked after a pause. There was a moment of shocked silence. "You are standing in it," said Erza quietly. Shock dawned on both the girls' faces. "Really?" the girl with brown eyes asked in astonishment. A soft smile crept across the girl with green eyes' face.

"Mine telling us your names?" asked Erza politely. "Only after you," brown eyes answered softly. After the members of Fairy Tail introduced themselves. The girl with green eyes said, "My name is Cori, and my friend here is Angelina." She looked around. "Mind if we stay the night?"

"No problem," agreed Erza. As this awkward conversation took place, Wendy and Carla, at the edge of the crowd, were having a conversation of their own. "I wonder what happened to them," mused Wendy. "I can't even see them!" snorted Carla in frustration. She jumped up and brought out her wings. Hovering in the air, she peered over the people. Then she gasped.

"What is it, Carla?" asked Wendy in worry. "Th-that girl," stammered Carla, pointing to the girl with green eyes. "Trouble," was all that Carla could choke out. "Is she that bad?" asked Wendy, worried. Carla shook her head. "I-I don't know," whispered Carla.

Cori and Angelina insisted on holing up in a storage room, for some strange reason. After a while, they came out again, lurking near the walls. As people mingled around, Natsu staggered in from outside, carrying a miserable Happy. It had taken him that long to clear Happy of all mud, inside and out. "Gosh, Happy!" grumbled Natsu. "Don't eat the mud! It's bad for you!" "I couldn't help it!" wailed Happy.

"Hey, Natsu, Happy!" called Lucy, walking up to them. "Erza's punishment did a number on him, huh?" He looked down in sympathy at the sodden Happy. "Well, he sort of deserved it, but she went overboard," muttered Natsu. "But that doesn't serve as an excuse for sucking up so much mud!" he added, with a furious glance at Happy.

Natsu put Happy onto a table and slumped into a chair next to him. Lucy followed them. "Have you met the people we found on the path?" she asked. Natsu shook his head and stood up again. She took him over to where Cori and Angelina were. They were having a muttered conversation.

"Hey, guys!" Lucy called. Cori and Angelina flinched and their heads jerked up. They relaxed slightly when they saw Lucy, but Lucy noticed they sustained the nervous feel about them that they had had the entire time. "Hello," said Cori quietly. Lucy introduced Natsu and Happy.

At the sound of Natsu's name, a shadow flitted across the two girls faces and they shared a quick glance. "It's nice to meet you!" said Angelina a little too quickly. With a start, Lucy noticed that Angelina's face was showing a tiny bit of...guilt? What was there to be guilty about?

Cori, however, showed no emotion after her previous surprise. Lucy narrowed her eyes. There was something suspicious about these people. Very suspicious.

Later that day, Lucy swung by the storage room to see if she could find something out about these people. As she cracked open the door, she heard voices. It seemed like they were arguing. "Why did you come with me?" snapped Cori. "Because I was worried!" said Angelina. "I can handle my missions!" protested Cori. "But this was your first important one!" countered Angelina. They were quiet for a while.

"I'll tell the boss that we found the subject," Cori said, breaking the silence. "Okay," agreed Angelina uneasily. The was a short clatter. Lucy peered through the crack in the door to see more. Cori was holding a large communication lacrima, which she placed on a box. She tapped it a few times and a shadowy figure appeared. It spoke in a deep, menacing voice. "Have you found the subject?" the shadow man asked.

Cori nodded. "Yes, sir." "Good. Remember, Cori, keep the examination short. This is an important job, and we need you back here for the MA." Cori and Angelina appeared surprised. "Is it already ready?" she asked incredulously. "No, of course not. Preparations are important, though. But remember, do not tarry," the shadow man corrected.

Cori nodded again. "Yes, sir. I'll be sure to hurry." "And one more thing," said the shadow man added. Cori tilted her head. "Yes, sir?" "Is Angelina there with you?" he asked. Angelina flinched. Cori glanced at her, then said, "Yes, sir." "I would like to have a word with her," the shadow man said, menace creeping in to his voice. Angelina grimaced. "I'll leave the room," said Cori, shooting Angelina a quick glance of sympathy.

Cori got up and walked toward the door. Lucy jumped back several paces, and walked towards the door, pretending she had only just got there. "Hello, Lucy," greeted Cori politely. "Hello, Cori," responded Lucy. Lucy made sure to stay out of the way after that, but she heard an angry voice coming from the storage room.

~Time Passes~

Days passed, and Fairy Tail nearly forgot about the visitors. Lucy did not. She saw them, always in the shadows, watching. It was creepy. Really, really creepy. During fights Cori would watch most intently, observing every single movement. Every day, Lucy swung by the storage room to see if she could catch another conversation. She never did, but Cori was almost always in there, arguing with herself. Lucy could catch her saying determinedly, "I'll do it today!" and then sadly adding, "But I don't think I can do it. One more day." All of it worried Lucy.

Then it happened. The two girls just seemed to disappear one day. Lucy was relieved they had gone, but she was worried. Where had they went? That evening, Lucy walked into her apartment to a strange sight. Natsu and Happy were there. No, that wasn't strange, they always came in uninvited. What was strange was that Natsu was out cold on the floor and Happy was flying in nervous circles above him.

"What happened?" asked Lucy, curiosity overruling her annoyance about their intrusion. "It was that Cori girl!" gasped Happy. "We were in here, waiting for you, and she came in and banged him on the head with a rock and left!" Lucy tilted her head. "That is weird," she admitted. "I wonder why." Lucy scanned the apartment and spotted something on the bed. "Look, a note!" she exclaimed. "How did you miss this?" "Ummm..." mumbled Happy. Lucy read it aloud:

_Dear Lucy & Friends, _

_I've left now. You can be sure about that. You don't need to worry about that anymore. Angelina and I have left. I was sent to your world on a mission. I had to eliminate someone; namely, Natsu. But as I watched your guild, I felt more and more guilty about what I had to do, and, in the end, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I know if the people who sent me find out I failed willingly, I'll be punished, and they will come after him again, so just keep Natsu knocked out for a few days. It should fool them enough. When he comes to, knock him out again. Please trust me on this! Also, I am very, very sorry about what is to happen, but I can't do anything to stop it. It is necessary to save the dying stars. There is no escaping it. _

_Sincerely, _

_Cori. _

"What?" was Lucy's first reaction. "What's going to happen? Who sent her? Why was she sent to eliminate Natsu?" She and Happy ran to the guild hall and showed everyone the note. "It certainly is strange," said Master. "It seems like she knows of some impending disaster. Remember it." "What about keeping Natsu knocked out?" asked Lucy. "We'd better," said Master. "If he's safer because of it."

The whole thing was suspicious, decided Lucy as she walked home. What worried her most was this doom that Cori warned them about. No escaping it? Definitely worrying. Lucy knew she had a right to be suspicious.

That Place From the Prologue

Remember that place from before, with the fancy table and mysterious figures? We return to them...

One chair was empty. "Cori has returned, sir," reported the cold-lady in her icy voice. "Good," responded the shadow man. "Has she completed the mission?" The cold-lady nodded. "She said so." A note of anger crept into the shadow man's voice. "And what about Angelina?" Nervousness shot through the room.

"Returning, sir. That was all she said," said the cold-lady. She shuffled her papers. "Are the preparations for the MA going as planned?" inquired the shadow man. The cold-lady paused. "I do not know, sir." She turned to another figure. "Jozo is in charge of them, sir." The figure she pointed to stirred.

"Jozo, are the preparations for the MA going as planned?" the shadow man questioned. The figure, Jozo, spoke. "Yes, sir, as planned. We are not far, though, but it going as planned, under my watchful eye" he said. Jozo's voice was old and shaky, but it held a heavy amount of self-satisfaction and smugness.

"Sir, I'm worried about something," said the girl with the high, lilting musical voice. "Yes, Melody?" asked the shadow man. "It's Merry; she's been acting weird lately." "Has she," mused the shadow man. "Maybe I'll look into it."

"Anything else, then?" the shadow man asked, addressing the entire table. Silence. "Very well, then, this meeting is dismissed." The figures got up and filed away.

~End of Chapter~

Kats: And that was Chapter One of Dying Stars! Angel, your thoughts?

Angel: Holy that was way different than your original draft.

Lucy: Kats, is it true that you rewrote chapter one?

Kats: Yep. Completely different. And then I revised the entire story structure

Lucy: Whoa...talk about indecisive

Kats: As a fellow writer, I would think you'd understand

Lucy: I-I, I-

Angel: Okay that's enough

Kats: But yeah I am pretty indecisive...

Wendy: Goodbye everyone!

-Angel, Kats, and Cast Out


	3. Somehow

Kats: Hello it is Kats and I'm bringing you Chapter 2 of Dying Stars!

Angel: Hello

Lucy: Hopefully the multitude of mysteries presented in chapter one will be solved this chapter!

Kats: Yeah, they will...lots of explaining this chapter...

Lucy: So fast?

Kats: I'm not one for long introductions...heh heh

Angel: Getting right into the craziness are we Kats!

Kats: Is my idea CRAZY or AWESOME?

Angel: It can be both

Lucy: I'm seriously worried about what happened next

Natsu: *snoooore*

Lucy: He's still out cold?

Wendy: It looks like it...

Happy: How much longer do we have to KO him?

Kats: Read the chapter and you'll see...disclaimer, Wendy!

Wendy: Kats does not own Fairy Tail Hiro Mashima does!

~Huzzah!~

Chapter Two: Somehow

*THWACK*

"It feels cruel doing this to him," said Lucy as she knocked Natsu out again. "Yeah, but the Master said we probably should," said Happy, just as doubtful as Lucy. "I'm not sure I trust Cori," grumbled Lucy. "Me neither, but Master said it was better this way," said Happy.

They were sitting in Lucy's apartment, where they had kept the unconscious Natsu. It was the third consecutive day of Natsu being out cold, and although striking him on the head gave Lucy a small amount of pleasure, it just seemed a little cruel to make him suffer like that. Happy had taken up temporary residence at Lucy's place (without her permission, of course) because that's where Natsu was.

"No word on this disaster Cori mentioned?" asked Happy. "Nothing," said Lucy, wincing at the name. "It worries me, though." She scribbled away at her novel for a few hours. "Should we drop by the guild hall?" asked Happy, bored out of his mind. "You go ahead," said Lucy. "I need to stay here to watch if Natsu comes to." However, she didn't seem to want to stay at home. "How about we take Natsu? I could fly him to the guild hall," suggested Happy. "Good idea!" exclaimed Lucy, jumping up.

~At the Guild Hall~

"This is much better than camping out at my place," stated Lucy as she watched yet another guild fight. There were a significant amount less fights without Natsu starting any, but they still happened from time to time. Gray could always provoke a battle. "I'm glad you're not bored," said Mira. "It can't last," sighed Lucy. Then they both froze. "Do you feel that?" asked Lucy. "Yes," whispered Mirajane. "A disturbance."

The fight broke up and people scattered to the edges of the guild hall. In the center, a bright white light was glowing. It grew, and grew, and jagged lines, almost like cracks, shot out from it. There was a blinding flash of light and a boom, and all fell quiet. On the ground was a girl, looking around curiously, shaking slightly. She stood up and surveyed the guild hall.

Lucy was horrified. Not another stranger!

The girl had green hair-not dark, not light-and pale green eyes. She wore a simple pale green short-sleeved dress and no shoes. She wore several green bracelets around her wrists and ankles that jangled when she moved. There were ragged bandages covering the entirety of both her arms, disappearing under the sleeve. No skin on the arms were visible. The same went for her legs, bandaged up under the dress. She held the air of a cornered animal, jumpy and nervous. "Is-is the intense magic power I sensed?" she asked casually. Somehow, Lucy got shoved forward. "What do you mean?" asked Lucy. "I sensed a large amount of magical power clustered in one place. Is this the place?" explained the girl quietly.

"I would think so," responded Lucy. The girl smiled then became nervous again. "H-hello," she stammered, sticking out her hand. "M-my name's Merry." "Mary?" repeated Lucy. "Merry," the girl said. "M-e-r-r-y." She spelled it out. "Like happiness?" questioned Lucy. The girl nodded. "Yep!"

"Why are you here?" demanded Lucy. "We've had enough trouble with strangers!" There was a murmur of agreement from the rest of the guild. The girl-Merry-appeared thoughtful, and worried at the displeasure. "A-ah, yes, if this is where I think, Cori would have..." She trailed off when Lucy gasped. "You know Cori!?" Lucy exclaimed angrily, furious at the sound of the name. Merry paled and she seemed even more nervous.

"Y-yes, I'll explain that later. Anyway, this is...Earthland, correct? I am in Earthland?" Surprise filled the guild hall. "Yeah," said Lucy, "but why does it matter?" Merry's face fell and was filled with even more fear. "It-it's quite serious, actually," she whispered. "What?" asked Lucy. Merry looked up.

"Earthland is doomed. There is an impending disaster. You can't escape it," announced Merry solemnly. Everything was quiet. Her words sounded familiar. Lucy recognized them from Cori's letter. No escape. "What?" whispered Lucy.

After everybody got sat down, they looked at Merry expectantly. She appeared uncomfortable under the attention. She shifted. "W-where do I start?" she mused shakily. "Ah, yes." She looked up. "You are familiar with the world of Edolas, correct?" "How do you know about that?" asked Lucy. "I-I'll explain," murmured Merry.

"You are lucky to have been there. Few know about the alternate world, and even less have traveled between them. What I mean to say is that Edolas isn't the only alternate world." Pure shock. "There are many. So many. Think of them of an enormous sky filled with stars, each one representing a world. But...most of them are on the verge of disaster. Nearly all of them. Doomed." As she continued, Merry got into the mood and lost her stammer. "They are all missing something. Edolas was missing magic. These other worlds, they're worse. Earthland is one the very few which are not missing something. You are very lucky to live in Earthland. Think of these doomed worlds as...dying stars, I suppose. There is a...a council, of sorts. It is the Inter-Dimensional Council. The select few outsiders who know of it call it the Void Council. A bit like your magic council, but worse. They are...extremely powerful."

This was worrying. Merry seemed even more nervous as she continued. This mysterious council seemed to frighten her. "It's their job to...to keep the worlds separate, prevent too much contact. They handle matters that could save or destroy a world. They control lives. Entire worlds. There are ten members, all very skilled at magic." She stopped to catch her breath. "They are aware of these...dying stars, you see. They have come up with...a plan to fix this. But it comes at a cost." Merry was shaking quite violently at this point.

"This council was aware of Edolas's 'Anima' plan to suck magic from Earthland. They admire it. They are trying to copy it. They call it the Mega Anima, or MA. They plan to use the MA to suck Earthland dry and take everything it has to save the dying stars." There was a shocked silence. Merry was trembling violently. "What will happen to our world if this happens?" asked Lucy quietly.

"Nothing will be left."

"Absolutely nothing?" gasped Erza. Merry nodded shakily. "Nothing." "How do you know this?" demanded Lucy. Merry looked a bit guilty. "I-I was one of the servants of the Void Council, you see." "The why did you come to warn us?" demanded Erza. Merry glanced away. "I heard their plans. I-I just couldn't stand by while they blatantly destroyed a world...I ran away to warn you...n-n-n-no doubt they'd p-p-p-p-punish me...s-s-severely if I c-c-came back," she explained. Her fear seemed to great she could barely stand up, she was shaking so hard. This made Lucy wonder; what was this wretched punishment? Had she suffered it before? Lucy eyed the ragged bandages covering Merry's arms and legs.

"Okay, thank you for telling us," said Lucy. "How did you get here? And do you use magic?" Nearly everybody had sensed Merry's odd magical power. "I don't really use magic," said Merry with a loose shrug. Lucy wondered what possible use this Void Council could have for shaky, jumpy, terrifed Merry. "What did you do? To serve them?" she asked at loud.

"They pretty much used me as a giant walking lacrima," answered Merry. "Is that possible?" wondered Erza. Merry shrugged. "Everyone's different. I didn't come from this world." "How did you get here, then?" asked Lucy. "Well, normally, travel between worlds is extremely dangerous and forbidden. Nearly nobody can do it. Those who try have to deal with disastrous consequences. You got to Edolas and back here through the Anima, which is a bit different," explained Merry.

"Then how did you get here?" inquired Erza. Merry replied, "I collected a lot of magic power and used it to piece-" she jabbed one of her hands in front of her "-piece the fabric between worlds and came to this point of power. Can I be done now?" Lucy realized between the constant trembling, stammering, and dramatic hand gestures, and not to mention traveling between worlds, Merry was exhausted. "You can stay at my place," offered Lucy. Happy gasped. "You invited someone to stay over! It truly is the end of the world!" he wailed. "Shut it, cat!"

Before they left, Erza asked one last thing. "Merry, did you come here just to warn us? Knowing about something is nice, but being able to do something about it is a whole different thing." Merry stared at her hard, then spoke, very quietly: "You can't escape something if it doesn't happen." This left Lucy and Erza fairly confused.

It was a silent walk home, with Happy flying above, carrying Natsu. Merry looked up at them. "The person that cat is carrying...is his name Natsu?" Lucy looked at her in surprise. "Yeah, it is. How do you know that?" Merry looked faintly amused. "Is he unconscious?" she asked. Lucy nodded, then added bitterly, "That's what Cori told us to do, at least." "I see she couldn't do it..." murmured Merry quietly, then added, "She's right. Keep him out for a few more days."

They walked into Lucy's apartment to find Erza and Wendy inside. "WHY ARE YOU HERE?!" raged Lucy ("And how did you beat me here?"). Erza waved and Wendy smiled apologetically. "To welcome you home, of course," said Erza calmly. "Sorry," apologized Wendy. Happy dropped Natsu on the floor.

"You look worried, Merry," commented Lucy. "Don't I always?" muttered Merry bitterly, signaling some past trauma. She looked up. "I'm worried about my friend, that's all. Soon, I'll get enough magic to go and get her! And come back, of course." Merry looked up and addressed Erza. "Would it be okay if I drained magic energy from your guild every now and then? So I could go and get my friend?" Erza considered the question. "You'll have to ask the Master." "Okay."

Lucy struggled to fall asleep. Merry's words echoed in her head._ Nothing left...save Earthland...there is no escape._ Could they escape? Lucy wished with all her heart Cori hadn't showed up. Somehow, it was all Cori's fault. She just knew it, deep in her heart. Somehow.

*deep breath* That Place from the prologue and from the end of chapter one and now known as the Void Council

A servant came rushing in. All chairs were filled. "Sir! Sir!" the servant called urgently. "What?" asked the shadow man. "Merry has gone missing!" reported the servant.

Anger choked the silent meeting room.

The servant scurried away. "I told you she was acting weird, sir!" said Melody in her musical voice. "Silence!" snarled the shadow man. Melody shut up. A figure sitting on the floor leaning against the glowing wall stirred. Calm swept over the council...except for the shadow man, who remained furious.

"Sir," said the figure on the floor in a weak, quiet voice, "I can't work my magic if you are resisting." The shadow man's gaze snapped to the figure, which flinched. "YOU SHALL NOT SPEAK, HOLLY! IT IS NOT YOUR PLACE TO SPEAK DURING MEETINGS OR PROTEST ME! ANY MORE OF THIS BEHAVIOR AND YOU SHALL BE PUNISHED!" the shadow man roared. His voice dropped several volumes and acquired a cold, threatening tone. "You don't want to end up like, Merry, do you?"

The figure on the floor, Holly, shook her head. "Meeting dismissed," grumbled the shadow man. The council members filed away. Holly curled up against the wall. A single tear rolled down her cheek. "Oh, Merry," she sighed, "wherever you are, why didn't you take me with you?"

~End of Chapter~

Kats: And that was Chapter 2 of Dying Stars! Angel-chan, your thoughts?

Angel: It was awesome K-chan

Lucy: "Chan?"

Kats: Yeah you have a problem with it? *glare*

Lucy: N-no...

Angel: We're doing it to get into the spirit and such...right, K-chan?

Kats: Yep!

Wendy: How did it originate?

Kats: well, it started when Angel-chan called me Mrs. Rejuvenation...

Angel: She gave me a list of names of what to call her...

Kats: -chan was not on the list but I let it slide and called her that too

Wendy: Okay then Kats-sama!

Kats: -sama is quite fine too *heh*

Lucy: Geez so self-centered

Kats: You gotta problem with it? *glare*

Lucy: N-no...Kats-sama...

Kats: much better...Angel-chan, shall we end?

Angel: Yeah...Wendy, go ahead!

Wendy: Yes, Angel-sama! Goodbye fanweb!

-Angel, Kats, and Cast Out


	4. Another One?

Kats: Hello everybody! Chapter 3 of Dying Stars! Huzzah!

Angel: Hello

Natsu: *snoooore*

Happy: When can he wake up?

Kats: Soon, Happy, soon

Happy: How soon?

Kats: This chapter, I think

Happy: excellent!

Natsu: *snooore*

Lucy: I dunno...its awfully peaceful with him out cold...

Kats: Wow Lushy...he's perfect for comedic relief!

Lucy: Don't call me that...

Angel: Should we start the story?

Natsu: *snooore*

Wendy: Kats-sama does not own Fairy Tail Hiro Mashima does

~Huzzah~

Chapter Three: Another One?

The rising sun cast Magnolia into the gentle golden glow of morning. "Merry, are you feeling better today?" asked Lucy with concern as they walked to the guild hall. Merry nodded. She still had the look of a hunted animal, but she seemed to have stopped shaking and shed her exhaustion. "Everything good up there, Happy?" called Lucy, looking up.

"Aye!" responded Happy, carrying Natsu. They reached the guild hall. "Here we are!" announced Lucy. Merry gazed up at it in awe. "It looks so much better in daylight," Merry sighed. They walked in. Merry scrambled over to the Master, her bracelets and anklets jangling loudly. (Jangling...such a lovely word)

Merry scurried back over and announced loudly, "Your Master has permitted me to draw magic energy from everyone here. I shall leave enough behind that it will recharge at a normal rate. Nobody will be hurt!" There was a muted murmur, then an accepting silence. "Okay," whispered Merry. "Here I go."

She lifted her hands up. Suddenly, Lucy felt an intense fatigue and sensed her magic energy leaving her. Lucy leaned on a table for support, her legs barely unable to support her. Other were reacting similarly. Resisting the urge to block the drain on her energy, Lucy collapsed on the ground, unable to stand up any longer. Soon, everybody but Merry was splayed on the floor.

"Sorry," apologized Merry sheepishly. "You should recover completely in a few hours." From that day on, Merry drained magical energy from them twice a day. She never said anything more about the MA, or the Void Council, or even about waking Natsu up. All Merry seemed to care about was rescuing her friend from the council.

One day, about a week after the arrival, Lucy interrogated Merry. "Can we let Natsu wake up?" Lucy asked. Merry jumped, unaware of Lucy's presence. "I suppose so," Merry said after a moment. Lucy noticed Merry kept glancing over her shoulder as if someone was creeping up on her. The hunted look was ever-present in Merry's eyes. Lucy wondered if some past tragic event had made Merry so jumpy, or if it was just her nature.

For some reason, Lucy trusted Merry far more than she had trusted Cori and Angelina. She didn't quite know why; maybe there was just something about Merry that Lucy pitied and made her want to trust Merry. Merry just seemed like she could be trusted. She didn't creep around in the dark and kept secrets like Cori and Angelina; Merry was open and told Fairy Tail everything. She didn't disappear suddenly leaving cryptic messages; Merry didn't seem to want to leave.

Lucy hadn't liked Cori from the start. But Merry was a whole different story.

Lucy was glad she could let Natsy wake up, but she was worried about two things:

Did all of those head blows cause brain damage (not like there was much to damage in the first place)

Would he be mad at her? (Lucy really didn't want him to be angry at her)

She was in her apartment with Happy, waiting for Natsu to wake up. He stirred and slowly sat up. "You're awake!" cheered Happy. Natsu looked around, confused. Lucy held her breath. Was his brain working okay?

"You aren't gonna knock me out again?" he asked slowly. Lucy wanted to faint right there. This made things complicated. He remembered the short moments he had awake. "Nope!" assured Happy. "What was that for?" complained Natsu, annoyed. "Those rocks really hurt!"

"Sorry about that," said Lucy sheepishly. She explained why and what had happened while he was unconscious. Natsu tilted his head. "Huh?" Lucy sighed, even though she really hadn't expected him to understand. Just then, Merry walked inside the room. She jumped when she saw Natsu, then calmed down.

"You must be...Natsu?" she asked tentatively. "Greetings." Natsu glared at her suspiciously. "Natsu," moaned Lucy. "This is Merry, remember? The one I JUST TOLD YOU ABOUT?" "Uh, yeah," stammered Natsu, not remembering. Lucy rolled her eyes. "Just forget about it..." she sighed. "Merry, will you be able to get your friend soon?"

"Yeah, I'm doing it tomorrow," responded Merry, cheering up a little. "Do we have time for all this?" asked Lucy nervously. Merry answered instantly. "Yeah. I delayed their plans by running away." "That's good to know," sighed Lucy in relief.

The next day, they were all gathered at the guild hall, curious to see Merry go and get her friend. Everybody cleared out a large area for Merry to work in. Merry took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a while, then opened them. She lifted one of her hands, the bracelets jangling. Then she jabbed it in front of her. "Step one, pierce," whispered Merry

Lucy was confused. Surely it'd be more dramatic than this. But where Merry's hand had jabbed, a small point of light grew. "Step two, slash!" said Merry a little louder. She slashed her hand in front of her. The void began to grow and the air cracked and shattered. The void crackled. "Wish me luck!" Merry jumped in.

The void disappeared and there was silence. Afterwards there was a long, uncomfortable silence that lasted thirty minutes, Lucy wondered with worry if Merry was okay. Then, to Lucy's relief, she returned. Merry's entry was the exact same from before; a bright white light glowed, it grew, and jagged lines, almost like cracks, shot out from it. There was a blinding flash of light and a boom, and all fell quiet.

Merry was laying on the floor, looking exhausted. Laying next to her was another girl, looking to be a little older than Merry. The other person sat up and glanced around. Lucy found the girl's appearance to be quite disturbing. She wore dark green boots, laced with crimson red. A belt with several knives and sword buckled onto t held up gray-green pants with lots of pockets. She wore a scarlet shirt under a dark green jacket. She had long, tangled, dark green hair. What Lucy found most disturbing was her face and eyes. Her face was totally emotionless. Her eyes were a bright, shocking, crimson.

This person got up. Merry stirred and hopped up as well. "This is Holly," introduced Merry, seeming to be nervous about how people would like them. Holly surveyed the room with her red eyes, then turned to Merry. "These are...your friends?" she asked in a flat voice. Merry nodded nervously.

TO Lucy's utter astonishment, Holly started crying. "Thank you so much...for saving me...it was horrible..." she whispered. Then, Holly wiped away the tears and turned her sights on the Fairy Tail members. "WHAT'RE YOU STARING AT ME LIKE THAT FOR?!" she raged.

Now Lucy was REALLY confused. Holly glanced back to Merry. "We're in Earthland, right?" she asked Merry with mild curiosity. Merry, unfazed by Holly's change of attitude, nodded. Holly turned back to the guild members with sudden corner. "You guys have gotta get out of here!" she exclaimed with sudden concern. "Earthland is gonna be gone in a month or something! Hurry!"

Lucy was totally baffled, as was everybody else in the guild hall. Holly had switched for emotionless to thankful to angry to curious to worried within five minutes. Merry, finally seeing fit to explain, stepped forward. "Holly is prone to violent mood swings," explained Merry. "You'll get used to it."

Lucy agreed to let Holly stay at her place too, since it was already such a party. On the walk to her apartment, Holly swung from concerned to curious to sleepy to excited and then to skeptical. Then, a question occurred to Lucy, but it tooka while for her to gather up the nerve to ask. Finally, she turned to Holly.

"What kind of magic do you use?" Lucy asked after a brief pause. Holly turned to Lucy with a disdainful expression of her face.

"None of your business!" Holly huffed, turning away and storming ahead grumpily. Merry shot Lucy an apologetic glance and walked over.

"Holly uses Mood Magic," explained Merry. Lucy wondered if Holly would be irritated over this, and she shot a worried glance to Holly. Holly seemed to be furiously ignoring them, proceeding in a sulky fashion.

"She can manipulate the emotions of those around her," continued Merry. "But like many other magics, it's weakness is awareness. If the person knows they're being manipulated, then it won't work. Unless the person lets her, then it works." Lucy looked over at Holly.

"Interesting," Lucy admitted. "What did they use her for?" They, of course meant the Void Council.

"When they got too angry, they would let Holly calm them down. Rational thinking, you know. No foolish mistakes born of anger. They have a big responsibility. A rash decision wouldn't be good," explained Merry. Lucy noticed the entire time they were walking back, Merry kept glancing behind her back and jumping at every sound. Again, Lucy wondered why Merry was so nervous.

The following days, Merry continued to drain energy from Fairy Tail. Then, about a week after Holly arrived, Merry and Holly had a muted conversation with the Master, then turned around.

"Are you ready to save Earthland?" Merry asked everybody, slightly quietly. Despite the volume, every head swiveled toward the stage. A tense silence penetrated the guild hall, every ear straining to hear the next words. Master took over.

"Merry tells me it is time to save Earthland," he began. "She will take a small-ish team of wizards into the other worlds to help save the worlds." Everybody glanced at each other as an uneasy murmuring filled the air. Who would go? Some wanted to, and some did not.

"Any volunteers?" asked Master. There was a moment of shocked silence. He was asking for volunteers?! Who would go?

~End of Chapter~

Kats: And that was Chapter Three of Dying Stars! Angel-chan, your thoughts?

Angel: Oh who will go

Kats: Things will really heat up next chapter!

Lucy: Mooooaaannnn

Angel: Cheer up Lucy-san

Natsu: Yeah!

Kats: That's the spirit, Natsu-kun!

Natsu: YEAHHH! Bring it on, K-chan! I'm fired up!

Everybody Else: Kun? Chan?

Lucy: Wha?

Kats: Something wrong, Lucy? *heh*

Lucy: N-nothing, Kats-sama

Kats: Wendy-chan, ending!

Wendy: Right, K-chan! Goodbye fanweb!

Lucy: Ch-chan?

-Kats


	5. The Enemy Revealed

Kats: Hello everyone! I'm bringing you Chapter Four!

Angel: Yay

Kats: Where is everybody?

Angel: We might have gotten here early, K-chan...

*Cast runs into room*

Angel: Here they are! Hi Cast-kun/chan

Kats: Hello, Natsu-kun!

Natsu: Hey, K-chan!

Kats: Hi, Wendy-chan!

Wendy: Hello, K-chan!

Kats: Greetings, Carla-chan, Happy-kun!

Happy & Carla: Hello, K-sama!

Kats: Hey, Juvia-chan!

Juvia: Greetings, Kats-sama

Kats: Hello, Erza-sama

Erza: Hello, Kats-sama

Kats: Hey there, Gray-kun!

Gray: 'Sup, K-san!

Kats: Hiya, Levy-chan!

Levy: Hello, K-chan!

Kats: And hello, Lucy-chan!

Lucy: Hey, Kats-sama...

Kats: Hmm?

Lucy: When did you and Angel-sama get all honorifics crazy?

Kats: I just watched the majority of the Grand Magic Games arc in Japanese, so I guess I'm into the spirit right now.

Angel: Not that a lot of it was dubbed

Kats: But that arc is SOOO COOOOOOL!

Natsu: You like it that much?

Kats: You have some epic fights, Natsu...plus, they started showing blood in that arc after the animation change

Lucy: Animation change?

Kats: Small things, but soooo obvious to Angel-chan and me.

Lucy: What are they?

Kats: Wendy's hair gets a tiny purple tint and her eyes change for a while. They add in the eye-hair overlap thing. Lucy, your hair gets longer. Happy's head shape changes slightly. And Natsu's eyes get noticeably more slanted during fights and stuff

Lucy: Observant...

Angel: roll the story!

~Kats does not own Fairy Tail~

Chapter Four: The Enemy Revealed

"Any volunteers?" asked Master. Almost instantly, Natsu stepped up, accompanied by Happy.

"I wanna go!" he exclaimed eagerly. "Aye!" agreed Happy.

"I shall go as well," said Erza calmly, stepping forward.

"I'm going too!" exclaimed Gray, pushing his way to the front.

"If Gray-sama is going, I am!" wailed Juvia, stuggling through the crowd to the front.

There was a clamor as other people began to walk up, but Master interrupted. "No more volunteers!" Everyone stopped.

"I'll chose who else goes," said Master. Uh-oh. This could be bad. He glanced around. "They'll need a healer!" decided Master, much to Wendy's horror. "Wendy, you can go!"

Looking absolutely terrified but not protesting, Wendy shuffled forwards, followed by Carla. Master stared around the guild hall. "Who else?" mumbled Master to himself. Lucy sighed with relief as Master stopped searching and started talking to the team assembled. However, with a jolt of fear, she watched as Natsu suggested something that she couldn't hear. The group considered this for a second, then nodded.

Natsu darted away from the group and dashed straight towards Lucy. "You're coming, too!" he exclaimed to her, flashing her a smile, grabbing her wrist, and dragging her towards the front.

"Wha?" protested Lucy. "I don't wanna!" Her words fell upon deaf ears. Natsu let go of her wrist when they reached the front. Lucy shuffled a step back nervously. She didn't want to go on this suicide mission! She wasn't strong enough to make it out there!

"Now the whole team is going!" exclaimed Natsu cheerfully. Lucy shot him a glare, because it was obviously Natsu's idea to drag her along. As touching as it was, she DID NOT WANT TO GO.

After much goodbyes and farewells, they went outside, to the outskirts of Magnolia. Merry stood in front of the group, looking nervous.

"Merry," Lucy asked, "how are we going to do this? I thought it was impossible." To Lucy's surprise, it was Holly who answered.

"The first step to achieving something is believing it is possible," said Holly quietly. She stepped back. Merry shuffled forward and stared at the ground. With an exasperated sigh, Holly shoved Merry forward.

Merry looked up. "Okay," she said quietly. "There are some things you need to know before you go. First, I should tell you about the Void Council. There are ten members, plus some servants. I'll tell you about the members. One of them is Jozo. He's old. Doesn't use magic, but her is extremely skilled in potions. And then...ummm...ah, yes. Melody and Harmony. Twin sisters. They use this music magic. It's hard to explain. They act all sweet, but they are cruel. Savage. And...Cascade, right. Cascade. She's cold, cruel, sarcastic, and extremely intelligent. Doesn't let anyone get to her. Totally composed. Water magic."

Merry stopped to think for a moment, then continued. "And Tamashi! He's a jerk, acts like he's better than everybody. But he is powerful. And...I suppose...pretty smart. Uses the same magic as Cori, Soul Splitter."

Lucy winced inside at the sound of Cori's name.

"Nova's younger. I don't really know much about her. Star magic. It's hard to explain. And Sakkaku. Mysterious and silent. Illusionist. He's extremely skilled at illusions. And...let's see...Chikyu! Real dumb. More of a puppet than anything. Earth magic.

"And then we have Angelina."

"Angelina?" gasped the group. Angelina was a MEMBER of this council? Merry looked confused for a second before realization dawned on her face.

"Right...she came with Cori. They're friends, see. Cori is an elite agent of the council," explained Merry. "Back to the council. Angelina. She's not too bad. Rational. She's in some hot water after going with Cori, though. Angelina is an Elemental Angel Slayer."

"Angel Slayer?" echoed Erza in confusion.

"I'll explain later. Anyway, then there's the l-leader of the council. I don't know if he has a real name. We call him sir, but we call him the shadow man when he's not around. H-he's a natural leader, although quick to anger. Pretty cruel. H-his magic..." Merry trailed off and ran a finger over the bandages over her arms. "I haven't taken these off in years."

No wonder the bandages were so ragged!

"If I did, I'd probably die of blood loss in five minutes," continued Merry slightly bitterly and regretfully and sadly. Lucy squeezed her eyes tight. How horrible was this person? And those bandages must be magical or something. Merry shook her head and looked down.

"This Council seems to be rather nasty. Surely they wouldn't be evil with such responsibility?" inquired Erza.

"They've grown corrupt over the years since the shadow man came into power," explained Merry, looking up.

"Uhh..." mumbled Natsu, confused.

"I don't expect you to remember this," sighed Merry.

"Okay, let's go!" stated Holly impatiently. Merry nodded.

"When the portal opens, all of you jump in," Merry instructed Natsu, Happy, Erza, Gray, Juvia, Wendy, Carla, and Lucy. Merry opened the portal. Shielding her eyes from the blinding light, Lucy stepped closer to the crackling magic energy.

"Now!" shrieked Merry, and Lucy dove in, unaware of the others. Then everything was swallowed up by unbroken whiteness.

~End of Chapter~

Kats: And that was Chapter Four of Dying Stars! Angel-chan, your thoughts?

Angel: Huzzah

Kats: Sorry about the short chapter. It seemed like a good place to end, y'know?

Lucy: There wasn't even a mysterious conversation

Kats: Wendy-chan...

Wendy: Goobye fanweb!

-Angel, Kats, and Cast Out


	6. Dysnomia

Kats: Hello and this is Dying Stars and stuff!

Angel: Yay

Kats: roll the story

Lucy: Already?

Natsu: Why not?!

Kats: I don't own FT!

~A sleepy huzzah~

Chapter 5: Dysnomia

A horrible, stifling silence. That was all Lucy could hear. An oppressive, crushing blackness. That was all she could see. A hard, rough surface. That was Lucy could feel.

_Where am I?_ she wondered sleepily. It was all blurred. Then everything began to shift slowly, and Lucy became more and more aware of her surroundings. She was on the ground. It was rough, gray rock that scraped her face. She turned over on her back to stare at the sky. It was a dark, stormy gray, clouds that promised a furious downpour rain. Or was that just the sky color? She didn't know.

Slowly, sound crept into this gray world. All Lucy could hear was her own rasping breath, uneven and ragged. Worry crept into her heart as she remembered her comrades. The only breathing she could hear was her own. Was Lucy alone?

Lucy struggled to sit up, but her heavy fatigue weighed her down, and she fell to the ground again. Lucy strained her ears, sick with terror. And to her immense relief, as her ears adjusted, she could just hear another breath, faint and shaking, but it was there, close to her ear.

Then worry crept in again. Anyone's breath that shallow couldn't be safe. Driven by fear, she pushed through her exhaustion and twisted her head to the side. The effort left her drained. She found herself staring right at Natsu, who was lying right next to her.

He was on his back as well, staring at the sky. As far as Lucy could tell, his eyes were closed. The fact it was Natsu made her worry even worse, although Lucy may have denied it. Lucy forced herself to deepen her breaths. Every breath she took was stronger than the last, and it filled her with energy.

As she regained strength, more and more came into clarity. The previously blurred world became clear and steady again. The hard rock pricked her with sharp pain. She could hear each of her friends' breaths, ragged and uneven, but all there. But right then, her mind was set on Natsu.

Lucy wondered if something had gone wrong. Had Merry messed up taking them to another world? With a deep breath, she pushed herself into a sitting position. She stayed there for a while, regaining her strength. Feeling uneasy, she turned to Natsu next to her.

His eyes were closed and his mouth was slightly open. He was motionless. In a sickening moment, Lucy wondering if...no. She pushed away the thought. If she put her ear close to his mouth, she could hear Natsu's shallow breaths. Was it her imagination, or were Natsu's breaths becoming more and more faint?

Lucy looked around. All of her friends were on the ground as well, but she could all see the slight rise and fall of their chests that signified breathing. Like Natsu, their eyes were all closed. None of their breathing seemed to be as weak as Natsu's.

Lucy longed to go over to her friends, but she doubted that her legs would support her.

"Hello?" Her voice was faint, weak.

"Hello?" she called out with growing strength. "Can you hear me?" To Lucy's intense relief, someone stirred. Erza's eyes flickered open. Her shaky breath deepened, becoming stronger. Lucy crawled over to Erza. Looking back at Natsu, Lucy noted with unease that from a distance, he looked absolutely motionless.

Lucy turned her thoughts back to Erza. She stared down at her friend. Erza took in her surroundings, and with tremendous effort, started to sit up. Lucy helped her. It looked like Erza was a tired as Lucy. Erza slowly turned her head around to examine her friends.

"What...?" whispered Erza, her voice so faint Lucy could barely hear. "What happened? Are we in...the other world?"

Lucy shrugged. "I hope so," she whispered back, her voice as faint as Erza. They sat there for a while, recovering. Erza scanned over her comrades to make sure they were okay. When her gaze fell upon Natsu, she gave a start of surprise. "Is he...?"

Lucy shook her head with relief. "No. But he seems to be worse than the others." Erza sighed with relief.

"Good," she murmured. "I wonder when they'll wake up."

"Me too."

They sat there for the longest time. Then, someone else stirred. Lucy and Erza crawled over. It was Gray.

"What's going on?" he grumbled, his eyes flickering open. Erza and Lucy helped him sit up and explained they were as clueless as he was. Gray stared around and started when he saw the motionless Natsu.

"Is he...?" Gray began. Lucy shook her head. At the sound of Gray's voice, another stirred. Leaving Gray to recover, Erza and Lucy scurried over to Juvia. Juvia's eyes snapped open.

"Is...my love...okay?" were the the first quiet words out of her mouth.

"Gray's fine," assured Erza. Juvia gave a sigh of relief. Lucy and Erza helped Juvia sit up. Juvia started to crawl over to Gray, but she was stopped by Erza.

"Rest first," ordered Erza. Gradually, everyone came to until Natsu was the only one still out. Merry seemed to be even more agitated, as her head was like an owl's swiveling about, checking in front, behind, and to the sides. She flinched at every sound.

No one could stand up yet, but they were all sitting next to Natsu, faces shadowed with worry.

"He's barely breathing," whispered Wendy with worry. "I wish I could help, but I just can't yet..." she trailed off, looking down in guilt. "If he...it's all my fault!"

"Don't blame yourself for being tired, child!" chided Carla.

"It's my fault. All of this," said Merry, looking down with guilt. "The effort to get us all here was too much for me, so I drained magic energy from all of you. That's why we we're all so tired. I drained for him too much."

"Can't you GIVE magic energy?" asked Happy worriedly. Merry shook her head sadly.

"I don't have enough to give...I'm SO sorry!" She began to cry. As Holly comforted her, everyone turned back to Natsu.

"We'll just have to hope he wakes up," said Erza reluctantly.

"I'm sure he will," said Lucy with more confidence than she felt. While they waited for Natsu, everyone dispersed, trying to regain energy and surveying their surroundings. Not that there was much to survey.

They were in the middle of a rocky wasteland, totally flat and stretching for as far as the eye could see. The sky remained that same smoky gray, but no rain fell.

All that time, Lucy and Happy stayed at Natsu's side, watching him with worry. After what seemed like hours, Lucy leaned down and whispered, quiet as a ghost, into his ear.

"Please wake up."

Natsu stirred.

"He's waking up!" exclaimed Happy. In an instant, everyone was at his side. Lucy sighed a sigh of immense relief as Natsu's eyes slowly flickered open.

"Wha...?" he mumbled sleepily. Lucy and Happy felt like crying with relief. Natsu glanced around.

"WHAT HAPPENED? WHAT'S GOIN' ON!?" he exclaimed loudly, jumping right to his feet. Everyone else nearly fainted. After all that time being asleep, barely alive, he gets up like nothing happened!

"You're okay!" wailed Happy, jumping at Natsu.

"Of course I am," stated Natsu with confusion. "Why wouldn't I be?"

As everybody explained the situation to a baffled Natsu, Merry turned and stared at the horizon. Lucy noticed and walked over.

"What's up?" she asked.

"The Ks should be here by now," mumbled Merry.

Just as Lucy was about to inquire what in the world the Ks were, the air shimmered and three people appeared. They were identical. All wore a long black cloak with the hoods down. They had long, pale blonde hair. Their faces were ghostly pale. Each had unnerving pale gray eyes they examined the landscape with a disturbing lack of emotion. Their faces possessed a horrible sadness.

There was something distinctly _wrong_ about these girls. Lucy could sense a deep loneliness radiating off of them, a gaping emptiness that was reflected in their eyes. Lucy felt sad just standing next to them.

"We have come," said one flatly in a voice so brimming with melancholy, Lucy felt like crying.

"Good. Everyone, come over!" called Merry. Everybody walked over to these depressing strangers. They all seemed to notice the aura of emptiness surrounding them.

"These are the Ks," introduced Merry. "Katerina, Katrina, and Katria." Each stranger bowed slightly.

"What idiot named them?" snorted Natsu. Holly shot him a glare but remained silent,

"Anyway," continued Merry, "they have the ability to travel through the worlds effortlessly, and send others through without a problem, so I thought they'd be helpful." The middle person spoke up, Katrina.

"We are operating on the contrary to the Council's order to help. Do not tell or we shall be punished quite severly," Katrina said in a voice simmering with sadness like the others'.

"Nobody knows that better than Merry," added Katria blandly. Lucy noticed Merry began to shiver and clutch the bandages on her arms.

"Call us and we shall come," finished Katerina. They disappeared.

"They're creepy!" exclaimed Gray.

"Yeah," acknowledged Holly, "but they've been through a lot. They can help us."

"Where to now?" asked Erza. "And where are we?"

Merry snapped back to reality. "Right," she muttered. "I should probably explain the worlds..." However, Merry trailed off again and stared off into space.

"I'll explain, then," sighed Holly. "Throughout the worlds, the worlds are paired into twos. Each world has a world that they are closest to. Earthland's sister world is Edolas. If a world is missing something, its sister world would be missing the opposite of that. Every PERSON has a counterpart as well. In the sister world, the person's alternate self is more likely to be the opposite of them.. For example, the Edolas Fairy Tail were the opposite personalities of Earthland's Fairy Tail. ('cept for Mira)

"Every person has a counterpart in every single world, but as you get farther out, it can vary. Their counterpart may be exactly like them, or a tiny bit different. So you may not notice your counterpart, or they may be just like you. Just don't mess anything up."

"Huh?" snorted Natsu.

"You don't need to understand," sighed Lucy. She turned to Holly. "Continue."

"It's just necessary to know this stuff," explained Holly. "Now, the world we're in, it's called Dysnomia. Its sister world is known as Eris. Dysnomia is missing order."

"Order?" repeated Carla.

"Laws, rules, whatever you want to call it. It's a wild world where people wander free ad do whatever they want. Whatever they want. It lacks a government. Totally out of control. It's very dangerous. For instance, if someone saw us and felt violent, they could attack us for no reason other than because they want to with know consequences."

"That sounds bad," whispered Lucy.

Holly nodded. "Very. But it can work. it means WE can do whatever as well. But don't get carried away. That could be bad." She suddenly became cautious and mimicked Merry; glancing behind and jumping at every sound. She even had the hunted look on her face.

"We need to be wary," hissed Holly. "There is absolutely no structure here." This worried Lucy, and she began to be wary as well. Everyone caught on, and they crept along without making a sound.

"Why is no one here?" asked Juvia, glancing around from her spot close to Gray.

Holly, leading the group, glanced back, and whispered, "There are plenty of people. This reigon is one of the most hazardous."

"They're all underground," explained Merry. "There's a complex tunnel system. Everyone has an underground burrow. It's easier to hide when the others come out hunting." She paused and smacked her face. "Step lightly."

Lucy noticed Merry and Holly were setting their feet down in a way so no sound was made. She quickly mimicked them. And so they crept along, in that endless landscape of gray. It was eerily silent; only their breathing could be heard. Nothing stirred. There wasn't even any animals. It was the feel of a landscape hunted clean.

Happy spotted them first, from the air. He let out a small yelp that seemed ten times louder in the silence and pointed to a group of three figures on the horizon. Everyone froze. Lucy stared around wildly, searching for a hiding place, but the bumpy rock had no overhangs or loose boulders.

The figures seemed to spot them. Their arms waved and their pace increased towards the wizards. Lucy held her breath.

"Be prepared for a fight!" hissed Holly, drawing a knife in either hand. Worried that Holly thought it was necessary to fight, Lucy put her hand on her keys. Merry, despite not carrying a weapon, curled her shaking hands into fists. She seemed terrified.

As the hunters came into clear view, everybody gasped in shock.

"I-it's..." stammered Carla.

"Ahhh!" wailed Wendy.

"A-and..." whispered Happy.

"Did I warn you that you might meet your counterparts?" asked Holly sheepishly, but then switching back to wary.

There were three hunters. One was shorter and had a remarkable resemblance to Wendy. The other looked exactly like...

"Me?!" spluttered Erza.

The third person, thankfully, didn't resemble anyone they knew. All three were hunched and limping. They were scrawny, battered, and bruised. Their wary eyes also held a certain amount of malice. When they smiled an evil smile, they showed yellowed, broken, and missing teeth. Scars and scrapes crisscrossed them. Dysnomia-Wendy looked absolutely fierce, carrying a small dagger and a sly smirk. Dysnomia-Erza held a dull but deadly sword that she dragged behind her. The third person eyed Dysnomia-Wendy hungrily. He had long, twisted nails that looked to be deadly.

They limped up to them and a fierce staring contest initiated between the Erzas and Wendys. Dys-Erza, who appeared to be the pack leader, lifted up a hand and barked, "Stop!" Her voice was hoarse and rough. Lucy wondered how they got water in this wasteland.

The hunters eyed their prey warily, for they were severely outnumbered. However, they still regarded them with the eyes of a hunter/

"What you doing here?" demanded Dys-Erza. "And who are you?"

"We come from another world," responded Erza. Dys-Erza scanned them over. Lucy realized with a jolt that she may recognize them because of their counterparts.

"Goody-goody," snorted Dys-Erza with disdain as she stared at Lucy. Dys-Erza stared at Wendy for the longest time, as did Dys-Wendy.

"Others not from here," concluded Dys-Erza. Then she saw Natsu near the back, pushing to the front. Dys-Erza let out a scream, as did her companions. Everybody tilted their heads in surprise.

From a few feet away, Dys-Erza peered at Natsu warily. "Y-you from different world?" she asked. They all nodded. The hunters appeared to relax and approached them again. "He is evil!" proclaimed Dys-Erza, pointing to Natsu.

Dys-Wendy nodded. "The death hunter of these lands! He prowls the rocks, savaging everyone who he meets. Peace not in his vocabulary. He hates everything, everyone!" Everyone turned to stare at Natsu.

"You counterpart must be pretty nasty," commented Happy.

"Why am I not surprised?" sighed Lucy. Out of nowhere, the third hunter leapt at Dys-Wendy with a hungry look in his eye. With a savage growl, Dys-Erza stopped him and began savaging him. She swung her sword with a fierce look on her face.

The third hunter fell to the ground, lifeless. "Dirty cannibal," snarled Dys-Erza, wiping the blood of her sword. Dys-Wendy looked shocked. The others were absolutely speechless.

"I-is it all like this?" whispered Wendy in horror.

Dys-Erza shook her head. "Thankfully, no. Some who wish for the long-forgotten peace and civilization formed small group ways away. More civilized than here, but not working very well."

"Why do you stay out here, then? Do you like it?" asked Erza.

"Not at all. These rock plains are some of the worst places of the world. I would go, but death hunter's territory lies between us and it," said Dys-Erza regretfully. "We not attack you because you seem nice and you are many and we are few."

"We think we can save your world," interrupted Gray.

Dys-Wendy's eyes lit up. "You can?" she gasped in delight. Gray nodded.

"Can you show us to this civilization?" asked Lucy.

Dys-Erza shook her head. "No way." Their spirits sank. "I will tell you where to go, though. I not come with." She pointed back the way the wizards had came. "Be careful of death hunter."

"Thank you!" said Wendy.

"Welcome!" called back Dys-Wendy. "Please save this world! It's super dreary!"

As they trekked along, a conversation initiated.

"HOW do we save this world?" asked Carla.

"We have to introduce the notion of rules to these people. They depend too much on trust," said Holly.

"Why is it this bad?" asked Juvia.

"They are forced to live like animals because there is always a nasty person to do whatever they want. I suppose this civilization has some kind of nasty person every now and then that makes thing difficult," replied Holly.

"W-what is this?" squeaked Wendy, staring at the ground. There was a foot thick line, dark red in color, that stretched as far as they could see in both directions.

"I think it's blood," mumbled Natsu, sniffing it.

"W-we must be in his territory!" gasped Merry in terror. They stepped over the line. They had entered the death hunter's territory.

The Void Council

"Where is your sister, Melody?" inquired Cascade, the cold-lady.

" Harmony is taking a nap, Cascade," responded Melody.

"Get her. We have important things to discuss," ordered Cascade icily. Melody scurried away, returning with Harmony. They hurriedly took their respective seats.

"Let us continue," stated Cascade.

"So, what is the problem?" demanded the shadow man. "Tamashi, you wanted to talk about it, correct.

A figure on the opposite end of the round table nodded. "Yes, sir." It was a male voice. "Those servants left with valuable on the MA."

"Yes, they have. Your point?"

"It is my belief that they may have leaked this info. You see, I tracked the direction of their dimensional travel, and it was in the direction of Earthland."

There was a brief silence.

"Are you implying that they may have told Earthland what is going to happen?" demanded the shadow man.

"Yes, sir," replied Tamashi.

"That could be bad," mumbled the shadow man. "Nova!"

"Yes, sir?" a smaller figure inquired. She was shorter and had a high voice.

"Track the amount of directional travel. Keep an eye out for any disturbances between the worlds. Monitor worlds closest to Earthland."

"Yes, sir, I shall do that," agreed Nova.

"Meeting dismissed!"

~End of Chapter~

Kats: And that was Chapter 5! Angel-chan, your thoughts?

Angel: Soo complex

Kats: If anyone is wondering, Dysnomia is the Greek god of lawlessness and the child of the goddess Eris. Dysnomia is also the moon orbiting the dwarf planet Eris in our solar system

Lucy: Will all the names have such meaning?

Kats: Maybe. Or maybe they'll just be something a came up with in my head

Lucy: Okay, then

Kats: About names, several of the Void Council have names that mean something in Japanese. Chikyu means earth, jozo means brewing, tamashi means soul, sakkaku means illusion, and yeah.

Lucy: you put some thought into this

Wendy: Goobye fanweb!

-Angel, Kats, and Cast Out


End file.
